blogger images

Just a little frustrated with blogger image formatting / my lack of html skill. It took about 10 minutes to get those stupid images to line up on the right like that...

some good movies

Here are two gems that I have had the pleasure of seeing this last week: Brick (2005) and Waitress (2007). Both were excellent. I have been starving for a good movie and was disappointed at my recent I Am Legend experience. I was riveted by Will Smith, but, as everybody is saying, the film can't float solely on Smith's performance. Brick's vernacular was fascinating and witty, providing the path into the "noir" character of the film as much as the setting. It's a great tale of revenge and redemption. Waitress is equally compelling but much more joyful and light. While Brick's momentum is carried by under-the-surface anger and frustration that only gets expressed in a few moments and is never fully released, Waitress' is carried by hope in escape from the under-expressed pain. Unlike Legend, these two films end satisfyingly without being conventional or intentionally unconventional.

So there's my first (minute) attempt at actually writing a film review (not for credit). Keep it coming.

the day after

**about 48hrs ago, our internet has yet to be hooked-up, we'll get to that...**

I'm not so good with these. My life, well everybody's, is perpetually filled with the day after: conferences, meetings, big events, holidays, trips, and the list goes on. Today was the day after. It wasn't pretty. I got less than expected, or even hoped for, accomplished. I had practically no interaction with people. I slept in way too late.

The day after officially sucked. Worst, I can only blame myself. I can't even begin to think about how poorly I steward my time on the day after. I need rest, sure. I need to recoup, fine. But really, I think the world got gypped today and deserves it's 24 hours back. Somebody else could have used it much better. If I believed in purgatory, I'm sure there would be weeks of me to serve to make up for all the days after that had been wasted on getting my act back together.

Better luck next time.

derek webb during service??

Today we an amazing church day. You heard me right. I know those words have probably not come from my lips (fingers in this case) in over 2 years. At our RiverLakes church (you can download the sermon if you want), home to countless white middle-to-upper class peeps (like myself) the service was ended with the worship band singing "I Repent" by Derek Webb. Holy crap!! Let me just take a minute to sit in silence and praise Jesus. The message was on humility and service. How can we say we are Christians, people who are following Jesus, when all our efforts seem to be to climb the latter of success (wealth, comfort, pleasure) when Jesus is going the opposite direction? This was basically the thesis of the message today. I was shocked, what's next? Promoting social justice? Keep it coming.

Next, we have what I've been listening to the last couple of days. This band is incredible. I really like every single song that they play on this album. Thanks to PasteMusic.com for this one. From Like Castanets

"The city silver in the moon.
The mountains heaped with sugar spoons.
The click and clatter of my feet along the crooked, cobbled street like castanets."

The first song on the album is the story of the Monitor versus the Merrimac. Excellent. Come on.

Also, notice the Apple Reflection style image on the above? That's all GIMP baby. I've been learning more and more how to use GIMP and am seriously loving it. Look out Photoshop, there's another Image Manipulation Program (GNU I.M.P => GIMP) in town and what's that...it's free? Brilliant. The latest release of 2.4 is very awesome and after a few hours you can get acclimated from the Photoshop environment. Previous versions have been decent, but this last update is fantastic.

Finally, I wish to point out an update to the box.net widget on the right side of the blog. There are two mp3's that I added of this guy Conrad Gempf. It's amazing storytelling that I heard about a year ago but just recently located in download-able format. Check it out! You can listen directly from the box widget, or you can visit the Emergent UK website and download them for yourself.

what happened??

I posted a bunch of images but some of them disappeared. What happened? Perhaps the content was too explicit. Or maybe I just don't know how to work this thing...

Well, let's try again, this time I'll leave out the butt tree shot.

photography

Here's some shots I took on a super nice camera (thanks Brian and Tammy). Well, all except the last one...

good testimony

"InterVarsity is how I get through my day." Well, at least that's the gist of it. This coming from a student who only months ago came to our group because she was forced to by her friend. Of course, it's not InterVarsity, it's the community that's accepted and loved her with the name InterVarsity that is what really gets her through her day.

Jesus has been trying to teach me how to think about success in ministry. I'm looking for massive intellectual revolution, (or at least conformity to my intellectualism) for cutting-edge discourse and philosophy, and yes, actual outpouring of the Holy Spirit (but in forms that encourage the intellectual and philosophical). I think those things would be success too, but there is more. It isn't "all about the small things" but it is about the small things too. It isn't just about the huge things, but it is about the huge things too.

I understand the concept of the "it is, but it is also" intellectually, but I am in desperate need of testimony to define, expand, and enlighten me. I know for this student, God is not just bringing a social club for her to be accepted in, but an actual community where for the first time she isn't constantly reminded to think about how others are seeing / judging / condemning her. Instead, she is free to feel loved, enjoyed, validated, not by other people, but by a community that recognizes her for who she really is, beautiful.

new music from the library

Have I mentioned that I love the library? If you haven't noticed the new sidebar on the right that's keeping track of the CDs I currently have checked out...uh...take notice.

Today was a big one. Eight CDs, 1 (5th) season of Scrubs, and a Thousand Splendid Suns (the book, sheesh, get to a Barnes and Noble...)

Anyway, in order of my excitement-

1. Alexi Murdoch - Time Without Consequences (uh, Jose Gonzalez meets Jack Johnson, yeah)
2. Something Corporate - North (heard one song on Pandora or iTunes, lets check the rest out.)
3. Daniel Powter - (self titled) (Pandora or iTunes?)
4. The Flaming Lips - Transmissions from the Satellite Heart (Thank you Ryan Miller)
5. Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Like Bad News (after ...Before the Ship Sank, I was hooked)
6. Fairfield Four - I Couldn't Hear Nobody Pray (O Brother Where Art Thou, anyone?)
7. Coldplay - A Rush of Blood to the Head (thanks Craig Weber)
8. Coldplay - X&Y (well, they had it too)

Still waiting for:
1. Flaming Lips - At War With the Mystics
2. Wilco - Kicking Television
3. Shins - Oh Inverted World
4. Coldplay - Parachutes
5. Wilco - Sky Blue Sky
5. Wilco - Summerteeth
6. Amber Pacific - Truth in Sincerity
7. Bayside - The Walking Wounded
8. Flaming Lips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots

Any suggestions? (I await the sarcasm...)

on a lighter note

Just in case the last post got you a little worried about my, uh, quality of life (or something like that), here a more relaxed one.

This game is super fun. Give it a shot. It's got all the requirements for a great online flash game:
1. It is ridiculously simple: design, graphics (simple, but still elegant), concept (never read the instructions)
2. It keeps track of your personal best.
3. You will play it over and over and over (I know I can do better).
4. It will raise your blood preasure as you get so tense and frustrated that you lost on the second level.
5. At first you think, "This music is awesome!" and then "I can't stand the d#*@ music!"

Enjoy, and uh, here's my best so far. I am the man...right?

show me the healing

Ministry is in full swing at B.C. and Cal State. We just put on the first Awakening where both chapters get together for worship and a message. Two weeks of New Student Outreach, seemingly billions of fliers, posters, candy give aways, Volleyball, water balloons, a week of bible studies, prayer, leadership meetings, prep meetings for bible studies, prep meetings for leadership meetings, tables, chairs, worship practices, raw fingers, song research, font finding, powerpoint slides, talk preparation / editing, new faces....and the list goes on.

Where's the healing? where's the making well? where's the changing hearts? where's the discipleship?

I know, no I think, all this stuff in necessary in order to create a place where the questions can get answered...But shouldn't the healing, the changing, the freedom from being trapped in co-dependence, unhealthy relationships, pornography, criticalness, cynicism, gossip, etc...shouldn't that be happing in the midst of ministry.

Trust must be built, and it isn't built in a day, or just a week or two, it takes time. It's early, things are still brand new. But what's the difference between continuing to do "ministry" in order that real ministry (healing/deliverance) will eventually happen, and continuing to do "ministry" and not ever seeing real ministry happen? Is there a time frame, a good, "gosh it's been a month, change everything" limit, I don't think so. Is it about faith, sure it is. Is there maybe something flawed in our pursuit if at the end of the day we say, "Well, I guess nobody was ready for real ministry today." Isn't that essentially saying, "God didn't want to use me for real ministry today." That can't be right, which means either I can't see it or I'm not part of it or both. That's unnacceptable.

I need to pray that God will open my eyes and make me a part of freedom, of healing, of the real gospel. Otherwise I'm going to get so depressed I'll reread the entire Harry Potter series. May it not be so.

my beard

One of the perks of being a guy: I can grow facial hair and still be accepted in society (most of it.)

I think this picture is a little narsisisss...narscissist....narsi...nars...uh...narcissistic. Yeah ninjawords.

is it magic...no

I stumbled across these videos while looking for some djembe lessons online. They are quite hilarious in my opinion. The best part is the announcer. So sit back, relax, and on this 50th post, woo hoo, learn some magic tricks to impress all your friends.


VideoJug: How To Do The Best Card Trick In The World


VideoJug: How To Make A Cigarette Disappear The David Zanthor Way


VideoJug: How To Perform The Alternating Back Card Trick

hope

Tonight Tina and I had a good conversation with some friends over dinner. The topic of most interest was living in community, and more specifically, living intentionally as a community. So here's a dream and we'll see what becomes of it.

Image a lot in the middle of downtown Bakersfield with two houses on it. One small two-bedroom, 1 bath mini-missionary-guest-family house (about 840 sq. ft.), one five-bedroom community house. Paint them both green and do some fix up and we're talking "Green House" in Bakersfield inner city.

The reality is that the lot isn't exactly inner-city, if we even agree that Bakersfield has an "inner" to it, nor is it right in the middle of a residential area. But nonetheless, it sparks an idea of a Bakersfield-type Pink House (Fresno's Inner-City house for Urban Ministry). Our focus this year for campus ministry is Justice and Evangelism, believing the two to be inseparable. Both Tina and I are convicted that although we may be "all-in" intellectually, there isn't much we are doing practically to model this for students, or more importantly, as following where we believe Jesus is leading.

Just ditching everything and moving to the poor isn't always necessarily synonymous with following Jesus, but when the opportunity to take a risk in that direction presents itself, I completely believe that God will honor it, and regardless of the turnout, you learn more about and get closer to Him. Now what exactly that looks like...this?

truth from the onion

I think this hits a little to close to home. I think it's hilarious, but also quite revealing. Anybody else in campus ministry ever afraid of this? I guess it's not all bad, but I don't like the idea that we're that predictable.

Recently Born-Again Christian Finally Has Social Life

GASTONIA, SC-Eight months ago, Larry Dunne was alone.

just for the heck of it.

I just wanted to be able to be a part of the "risers" the next time I'm at a conference and they say, "Stand up if you have ever blogged during a staff meeting." Sorry about that Rob.

back in the states

I get a kick out of the fact that I think it's cool to say the "states" even though I live here and have only travelled out of the country twice, both times shorter than two weeks. It has something to do with my disassociation complex, just distance myself from anything not perfect or interesting as not to be defined by it.

Not much to report. I've intentionally tried to keep from simply writing about my day because I figured a journal of my thoughts on particular things would be better and more challenging for me, but I find that whenever I read someone's blog and all they do is talk about their day, I'm completely memorized. Maybe it's because they're all friends or relatives, but maybe there is something more. I think it's story. I'm fascinated with stories. I don't particularly love it when all people do is talk about things that have happened to them. But I love reading the way people create a picture of their experiences. I'm a very linear story teller and I include a ridiculous amount of details, all of which I find important, many of which others find excessive I suppose.

I realized today that I miss being. I'm spending the weekend with a bunch of friends, one of whom is getting married. Tonight, as we sat around the hot tub taking our turns recalling old SNL sketches we all have seen, I was just me. I didn't have to think about what I was saying, or whether or not they thought I was funny, or if I wasn't there would they miss me. I didn't think about how great I think I am, or how my needs were or weren't getting met. It wasn't that I wasn't thinking at all, I was just entirely in the moment, but even that isn't quite accurate, I was enjoying past memories and imaging our futures as well. I was thinking about God and thinking about my stomach ache and whether or not I have Guatemala to thank for it.

I wonder if this type of "being" is a privilege. I am in Santa Barbara, CA, in a spa. Do I enjoy myself because I'm part of the majority? Does that question assume that those outside of privilege and the majority don't simply enjoy their lives sometimes?

I hope that everyone experiences this. I don't by any means think it's the ultimate thing to achieve, it's just nice, pleasant. I miss this.

from Magdalena Guatemala

¡Hola de Guatemala! We have been here for a couple of days now and really enjoying the people and food. The culture here is very similar to what I experienced in the Philippines, very gracious and generous. We are among the poor and I am reminded of how wealthy I am. Today I was thinking about how much space we have in the States. One of the big problems that Mario says exists here is a lack of personal value or vision for the future. ¨Why bother with education, I´m a poor farmer, I will always be a poor farmer.¨ That sentiment makes me realize how much hope I have in the future. I don´t think about it that often, but I live assuming that in five or ten years I will have something better than I do now. I will be somewhere different or new. My life will have made a difference. The reality is that is probably true, and the sad thing is that I take for granted how easily it can be accomplished. I don´t have to work that hard to gain success. I know so much of that has to do with being white and starting off middle class. It is hard to be proud of working hard to gain success when those here, and the majority of the rest of the world, must work hard just to survive.

Here is a picture of Antigua taken by some photographer. We visited the day before yesterday and I walked underneath that arch. It is a beautiful city, but also very touristy. I like being in places like this, places of poverty, because it challenges how I think about progress. Is progress developing the economy so that people can have nicer things and more space? Or just enough development to ensure there is no hunger? What is the goal here? Is it just to share Jesus? What is progress now if real progress can only happen over many generations? Much to think and pray about.

search for truth

One of the things that seems to be a recurring theme in my thought life is how I perceive truth. This is of course nothing new nor something unique. The only reason I bring it up is because I keep running across the book war that get's waged between different (usually) thinking people, alright, Christian's vs. Culture. It starts with the broader culture and then eventually hones in on truth. This war has brought us such great titles as Harry Potter: Witchcraft Repackaged (vhs) and The Gospel According to Harry Potter. Then the ever popular DaVinci Code vs. the DaVinci Deception. Then we have Misquoting Jesus vs. Misquoting Truth (IVP). And now, finally The God Delusion vs. The Dawkins Delusion. Look closely at that last website address, I think it's pretty funny. Anyway, again nothing new here, I could have chosen plenty of other titles, God knows they exist, usually at least three Christian books in response to whatever evil book get published and becomes successful.

The main reason for these books seems to be that there's the possibility that millions of people are being duped into believing that said book is true, however, they will not be duped if we can get, or trick, them to buy and read the Christian side of the story. But let's just be honest, this never happens. People read whatever books seem interesting to them. Culture produces a fun book that everybody reads, and the the Christian culture responds by writing a book about how the culture's book is flawed. No Christian reads the original book, but can tell you how evil it is. I guess some Christians read the original book, but they don't say anything because nobody listens to them, they obviously are teetering too close to the edge and might fall away from faith at any minute.

But I wanted to talk about truth, which I'm finding hard to do at the moment. I think in order to be understood I would have to spend an entire post setting up ground rules and definitions, which, quite frankly would bore me. Maybe all I want to say is that I almost feel hopeless to have a constructive conversation about truth, but at the same time I want to talk about it. Shoot.

who's that Spartan that's iPhone-ing...

It's me. It's me.

There's the new iPhone in my hand. Don't worry all my supporters, it's not mine. And although I did become embarrassingly giddy while setting it up and playing with it, I do not want one of my own. It's kind of like a ski boat or a beach house. I don't want one of my own, but I love to have friends who have such things and allow me to enjoy them. I've read way to much about the iPhone and kept up with all the hoopla, much to the detriment of my spiritual life. Yet, despite all the whining reviews (all from MSN owned sources??) and the certain shortcoming, I'm freaking impressed, as my face clearly shows.

another informative news segment

I was just talking to Tina last night about how ridiculous the news has been lately. I guess that the only thing happening in the world worthy of coverage is the release of two American icons: Paris Hilton and Apple's iPhone. Bob, I hope you get some sleep out there tonight, that's some tough concrete out in front of the Cingular store.

So ONS was great. It was a little long, bless that Sabbath day, but I'm very thankful for the relationships I got to build. I definitely feel more connected to IV as a national movement.

Here's a really cool site featuring some "light graffiti" which could bring a whole new string of vandalism to a city near you.